I just counted 44 sets of horns in my house and barn. Does that qualify me as a Masterwaiter?
I don't know, were you baiting?
I just counted 44 sets of horns in my house and barn. Does that qualify me as a Masterwaiter?
It's still waiting. I've done my share of it, the skill, is discipline.
killing deer over bait is called waiting, not hunting.
If sitting in a treestand is waiting, what is it that you consider hunting?
Hunting, to me , is using what nature has provided in the area without the use of bait.
Setting over barrels of feed that is distributed by a timer, is a poor example of hunting. Hunting a forest with multiple oak trees is not the same. Acorns are not dropping or limited by way of a manual set timer.
I think what I actually said was, setting over bait, is waiting. Setting in a treestand without the use of bait, in a natural setting , is not baiting and waiting.You are relying on your skills as a hunter, to blend in with the environment, being undetected . You are also using your skills to access the surrounding area and attempt to take game without the use of bait not normally part of the landscape. You are not trying to funnel game to one area. You would be relying on your skills to pick an area that has game and using your wits against it.
I just choose to use what nature has provided in the area. To me, that is hunting. Might not be every ones definition.
These are just my opinions and I'm not really trying to step on any toes here.
I've hunted se ok for 2 seasons now, I've found it much more difficult than open area SW ok for the reasons you just described. In SW ok I knew within 15 minutes or so when deer would pop out at various trails, it was clock work.I don't disagree with you a bit. My other comments were just trying to ruffle your feathers, but I feel the same as you. Where I hunt is completely opposite of Okie. We have hills, thousands and thousands of oak trees, and limited openings. What I find most difficult is patterning deer here. Nearly every place can be a bedding area. Feeding areas are all over when the acorns are dropping. Trails are... all over? Trying to get within 25 yards of a deer that takes a random path half the time is quite a challenge. I run about a dozen feeders and have stands at all of them, and have other stands at what funnels and crossings I determine might be lucrative. Most of my bow kills come from stands over feeders. I do not feel as accomplished when I kill a deer over a feeder. I would not call it cheating, but it not quite as satisfying. Certainly hard to hunt a trail a deer "might" come down when you know he is going to be under that feeder 20 minutes before dark.